broody hen

[LuisaD]

I have a hen that has gone broody, which I'm totally cool with and know that the majority of the eggs are probably fertile as we have 3 roosters! My flock of hens can be pretty vicious and she has decided to go broody on the tallest nesting box, so long story short, I'd like to mover her to my smaller coop so when the chicks hatch the others won't be jerks... Will she go back to her eggs and be ok with it? how should I do it? It's been a few days... and shes crazy possessive of her eggs and fluffs up and freaks when i go near her!

Also, she has stolen a few of her sisters eggs who just started laying this week... the eggs are kind of small.. is that ok?

 

[karlamaria]

This is what I did.... I took a rabbit hutch put in a box with shavings, and at night took all her eggs, then her and sat her in it on my porch, my nest box was way high and my coop at the time was to small for a crate in there. I took her out each day to eat and poop then back to the eggs. we have chicks . in the mean time, we had the coop enlarged and put the hutch and her and chicks in the coop and let her come and go from the hutch. if you have a big coop, put her in a crate at night, ( prepare the crate forst and add a nice low box or dish pan, shut her in for a day or two and then open it so she can come and go. she will do fine and her and the chicks can come and go where mama wants to to go . you could try a lower nest also. its what she will allow.

 

[LuisaD]

will she not nest on the ground if i put bedding and hay all over, and then the eggs?

 

[karlamaria]

its best to let her stay with the group of hens. they will be told in no certain terms to stay away. when the chicks are born with in the coop, they will grow up with them and the big girls will not harm them. but if you have to reintroduce the chicks and mama , it will be a pain in the butt. if you can keep her in that coop you have won a battle you do not even know you will have lol.

 

[karlamaria]

She might nest on the ground, but then the other hens and roosters could break the eggs when she gets off them. its best she have a nest. a crate works well, but if you have low nest boxes those may work also. its all about her, and some will not take kindly to a new nest box.

 

[LuisaD]

If she nests on the ground she will be in a coop on her own, so I'm not worried about the roosters or other hens... BUT I'm unsure how to move her and keeping her happy and on her eggs... where she is right now is WAY TOO HIGH for baby chicks to hatch, if they walk off they're done. So, somethings gotta happen!

 

[Den in Penn]

The height of the drop is not a problem. Chicks have been brooded at height and dropped and survived. The problem is that their protector will probably stay on the nest to hatch the rest. That separation could be a their doom in a coop full of strangers.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

i think it may be best if you separate her...chickens naturally nest on the ground, not in trees, and while a short fall may not harm a chick, it certainly could. Move her at night, put a towel over her,while you move her, and make a nest in the corner...she might move it herself, remove the extra eggs, they may not develop and prob just go bad. I confine them for three long days to the new spot, otherwise she'll just head back to the old nest. Chickens aren't social when nesting or raising chicks for the first few weeks so they'll miss nothing. Once the chicks are agile they can return to the flock...given free choice the broody may take them to roost in the coop before she weans them off. Happy hatching!

 

[dragonlair]

I used to have a several Bantams who would raise a clutch in the eaves of the goat barn. The chicks would hatch and after a day or so, jump out and land in the goat stall. They all did great, as long as I moved the water buckets. I didn't realize the hens were up there (very well hidden) until it started raining chicks and I found a chick in the water bucket (dead). The goats were sure puzzled at the fluffy rain too!

I've moved broodies and their nests several times with no problems. I did it at night, so she woke up in her new place.

 

[LuisaD]

Awesome!! Thanks everyone!! I'll let you know how it goes. My current flock is a pretty aggressive one so that was my main fear, so im definitely going to move them, as my fear was also the others while she nests!! My head roo is the one in my main picture so I'm excited to have more fluffy chicks since he doesn't let the other Roos get close to his ladies!!!